Home / Crime and Justice / Map Thieves' European Heist Exposed
Map Thieves' European Heist Exposed
15 Jul
Summary
- Two thieves stole thousands of maps from libraries across Europe.
- They used pencil sharpeners to razor maps from atlases.
- Authorities now aim to improve library information exchange.
Melvin Perry and Peter Bellwood orchestrated a series of audacious thefts across European libraries between 1999 and 2001. Using simple tools like pencil sharpeners, they expertly removed thousands of valuable maps from rare atlases. Their spree included targets in Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Finland, with initial thefts noted in Copenhagen in 1999 and further incidents in 2000 and 2001.
The thieves often signed in under their own names, exploiting lax security and open-access policies. For instance, Peter Bellwood successfully stole maps from Copenhagen's Royal Library in January 2001, including a rare Petrus Plancius world map. Melvin Perry was later apprehended in London after a similar incident in Helsinki.
Despite their arrests and convictions, many stolen maps remain unrecovered, fueling concerns about the illicit antiquarian map trade. The ease with which these thefts occurred prompted authorities to implement measures like the Copenhagen Principles, fostering better information exchange between European libraries and police forces to combat such crimes.
